Two Simple Steps To Make Getting Out with the large cool tote

Two Simple Steps To Make Getting Out and About With the Kids A Breeze This Summer

Getting out and about with the kids and a large cool tote this Summer makes life easier. Someone very wise once said, “happy kids, happy mum” (or something very similar) and, as mums, we know all too well the perils of being unprepared for a day out with the kids.

Whether you stay at the playground an extra hour past lunch because you daughter is a highly skilled negotiator but now she’s staaaarving, or you decide to squeeze a side trip to the beach into the afternoon because little Jimmy from Kindy will be there, it’s impossible to have absolutely everything you might need. This unfortunately, is the law of the having-kids-universe. We accept that it cannot be beaten!

So, knowing that we can’t pack everything, how can we pack “better”?

If you’re anything like most mums and you get stressed just thinking about trying to get out the house with all your children in tow before midday, luckily there are a couple of simple steps, and one genius bag: the Cool Clutch Large Tote, that will help make it much easier. They might seem obvious, but add these steps into your routine and you’ll feel like you’re winning at life – at least for the day (and wouldn’t that be nice!)

Consolidate

Less is more. It’s almost always true. However, as we’ve already established, being a mum means always being prepared and that can mean many bags worth of stuff will get lugged around with you wherever you go. It’s a widely accepted truth that we will always fill all of the bags we’ve decided to take – just in case.

Limit your carrying capacity to just this one bag, the Large Cool Tote from Cool Clutch and suddenly you will find yourself curating a more streamlined collection of essentials. Can’t fit that ball, second spare jumper or brick sized packet of wipes? Perfect, you are now obliged to decide what you’ll really need – one jumper will probably do and you can pop half the wipes into a zip lock bag. You’re practically a minimalist by now!

Even more brilliant is that your one very clever bagalso keeps things chilled! As an endless supply of apples, milk, grapes, cheese, water, sandwiches, more grapes, carrot sticks and cucumber will need to be dished out throughout the day, keeping these items cool and fresh in your bag will keep your grapes crunchy and sandwiches springy …. And your kids will think you are Mary Poppins 😉

Pre-pre-prepare

No, that is not a typo, but a very important tactic in how to best approach getting out of the door in advance of any day out that involves children. Pre-pre-preparation begins well before you need to leave, perhaps even the night before, and preferably well before your kids are actually born. It involves always having your summer essentials packed or topped up in your Large Cool Tote and placed somewhere near the front door – at all times – ready to go.

Every mum will have their own preferences when it comes to what the essential items are – there’s no need to carry around a bottle of chilled rosewater face spritzer if you don’t consider that a basic need. (But if do want to, this bag, the large cool tote, would keep it nice and cool). Some good basics to have always topped up include: sunscreen (which needs to be kept cool to ensure the active ingredients stay effective), snacks that have a good bag-life (e.g raisins, corn puffs), pawpaw ointment, a few band aids, paracetamol (for you), chocolate (also for you) wet wipes, tissues, a spade, a sarong (can be used as a towel, a rug or for some shade, a bare minimum change of clothes for the kids, coffee cup, plastic wine glass (no explanation needed). Just add some extra beach stuff or playground gear in the morning and you’re ready before the kids can say television.

One very important part of the pre-pre-prep for summer is to get your drinks (did someone mention wine?) snacks or lunch prepped and in the fridge night before, so when you pop them into your Large Cool Tote, they’re nice and cold and will stay so through the day. If, like most mums, you were already asleep the night before, some ice in the drink bottles will do the trick. If you’ve roasted a chicken the night before, pack that in your tote! (If you read that and thought, yes, I did actually do that, then we bow down to you oh super mum. You probably don’t even need this blog).

So, there you have it. Two simple ideas and one genius bag, the large cool tote, to help you simplify and streamline getting out the house and having a wonderful, easy day out with the kids. These points might seem trivial to the non-parent or to the already super-organised mum, but to the rest of us, they can make the difference between meltdown and memorable.